Death By Shopping

My heart is heavy. The day after a wonderful and truly American holiday of Thanksgiving comes what has been commonly referred to as Black Friday. That term was coined somewhat cynically to mark what is known in retail circles as the “busiest shopping day of the year” and the ensuing madness that ushered in the Christmas shopping season.

Now we really have a reason to call the day “black” for what happened at a suburban New York City Walmart when a “throng of shoppers… physically broke down the doors just after 5 AM and trampled to death a 34 year old temporary employee prior to the official store opening. I wish I were making this up. It’s one thing to face parking lot gridlock and shopping fatigue… but taking someone’s life just to buy “stuff” in a free-for-all frenzy”?

Instead of asking how something like this could happen, I propose that “it had to happen” in our materially based culture and it’s penchant for acquiring “things”. Especially around Christmas, a time of heightened interest that could be dubbed “shopping on steroids”. Should we be surprised when for a number of years, many retail sores and outlets have been advertising opening their doors as early as 4 AM on the day after Thanksgiving and wait until the final days leading up to Christmas when they will remain open until 2 AM or later. Imagine working in this environment. I have nostalgia for and can remember a time when Department stores were closed on Sundays- even in December.

Not to be outdone by the unruly, murderous mob at Walmart, another icon of the retail world, Toys R Us, had a violent episode in their Palm Desert, California store. Two men, armed with pistols killed each other in a gunfight witnessed by horrified onlookers who were ducking for cover. This encounter began when the two women they were with began pummeling each other. Reports are not certain of the reasons for the brawling women but were attributed to a personal dispute and not one related with Black Friday. Now I feel better… at least it wasn’t over who would get last “Guitar Hero” video game.

Christmas is not about getting huge discounts on Flat screen TV’s, Garmin GPS systems, IPods and cashmere sweaters (some of the “must have” items this year) . Or making sure our corporations are able to make 50%of their annual profit forecasts in a little over a month. When I googled “retail sales and Christmas season” I received 592,000 results mostly dispensing information related to how much of our hard earned money we could spend on ourselves and gifts that most of us don’t need. Something is a little out of kilter here.

How have we, as a civilized society, arrived at this Retail Hell? The true version of Christmas is about God entering the world as a baby (like all of us) born in the town of Bethlehem just over 2000 years ago? This was the ultimate Christmas present, the real “reason for the season”. The day that our God, in the name of Jesus, became flesh, grew up, walked among us, showed us how to live and then took our sins to the cross—and gave us the even greater gift of salvation. He was called Immanuel- or “God with us”. There is no better gift.

Christmas is about rejoicing over “… our dear Saviors birth”, “…Glory to the new born King” and “Joy to the world, the Lord has come… “to quote a few of the lyrics of our most well known and cherished Christmas carols. (To paraphrase Pastor John’s sermon this week) Jesus became a man to satisfy the more than 300 specific prophecies of the Old Testament, to show us the Father, to save us from our sins, to sympathize with our weakness and to secure our hope of Heaven.

For the sake of humanity, let us pay no mind to those “retail sales reports” and 24 hour shopping sprees for “stuff” that will lose its luster by the spring thaw. As Pastor John has said many times, he has performed many funerals and never once has he seen a hearse towing a U-Haul truck behind it. So take advantage of these days leading up to the greatest event in human history… because the coming of the Lord is to be celebrated.

But lest you think I’m a modern day Scrooge, I’m on record to say it’s OK to revel in the joy and comfort in everything that Christmas brings. Enjoy opening your presents, do a little shopping (online if you’re smart), eat those sweets, have a toast (careful), attend a show, listen to the beautiful music, spend time with your loved ones and leave the cookies and milk for Santa.

Go for it all but know that God is with us, not only in this season but every day all year long. That is a tradition we can all come home to this Christmas.